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Agnes Varda’s legacy as a pioneering filmmaker and artist continues to inspire and resonate with audiences worldwide. She will always be remembered for her great body of work, which still inspires a lot of people.
Agnès Varda’s Biography
Agnès Varda, born Arlette Varda on May 30, 1928, in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium, was a renowned Belgian film director, screenwriter, photographer, and artist.
She was noted for her distinct filming approach, which frequently featured location shooting and non-professional performers, violating 1950s French cinema traditions.
Varda was drawn to the arts at a young age, studying art history at the École du Louvre and photography at the École des Beaux-Arts. She began her career as a photographer at Paris’s Théâtre National Populaire before moving on to filmmaking.
Her interest in photography inspired her storytelling and the visual features of her films significantly.
La Pointe Courte (1955), Varda’s first feature film, was a stylistic predecessor to the French New Wave. Set in a small fishing hamlet, the film probed the nuances of a problematic relationship and highlighted Varda’s distinct blend of fictional and documentary elements.
Despite critical acclaim, the picture was a financial failure, prompting Varda to focus on short films for the next seven years.
Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), one of Varda’s most notable narrative films, follows a pop singer as she awaits the results of a biopsy. The film not only depicts the protagonist’s emotional journey but also confronts women’s objectification and challenges established gender stereotypes.
Varda covered a wide range of themes in her films during her career, frequently focusing on the lives of marginalised individuals or social issues.
Her documentary films, like The Gleaners and I (2000) and Faces Places (2017), demonstrated her interest in everyday life and her ability to uncover beauty and significance in the seemingly mundane.
Varda’s distinct artistic style and inventive approach to filmmaking earned her numerous awards and accolades throughout her career.
She won various honours, including a Cannes Film Festival Honorary Palme d’Or, a Venice Film Festival Golden Lion, and an Academy Honorary Award. She was the first female director to get an honorary Oscar in 2017.
Varda’s influence stretched well beyond filmmaking. She was regarded as a feminist icon, with her films challenging traditional standards and giving women’s experiences a voice. Generations of filmmakers and artists have been inspired by her work.
Agnès Varda died on March 29, 2019, at the age of 90, in Paris. Her death provoked a flood of accolades from the filmmaking industry, with directors including Martin Scorsese, Barry Jenkins, and Ava DuVernay expressing their respect for her singular vision and contributions to cinema.
What Was Agnès Varda’s Age At The Time Of Death?
Agnes Varda was 90 years old at the time of her death
What Is Agnès Varda’s Cause Of Death?
Agnès Varda’s cause of death was revealed to have been due to cancer-related diseases. She died at the age of 90 years old.
Who Is Agnès Varda’s Husband?
Agnès Varda’s husband is known as Jacques Demy, a French director, lyricist, and screenwriter. Jacques was born on June 5, 1931, in Pontchâteau, France, and passed away on October 27, 1990, in the 14th arrondissement, Paris, France.
Agnès Varda’s Works
Feature films
Year | Original title | English title | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
1955 | La Pointe Courte | — | Director, writer |
1962 | Cléo de 5 à 7 | Cléo from 5 to 7 | Director, writer |
1965 | Le Bonheur | — | Director, writer |
1966 | Les Créatures | The Creatures | Director, writer |
1967 | Loin du Vietnam | Far from Vietnam | Co-director |
1969 | Lions Love | — | Director, writer, producer |
1975 | Daguerréotypes | — | Director, writer |
1977 | L’Une chante, l’autre pas | One Sings, the Other Doesn’t | Director, writer |
1981 | Mur Murs | — | Director, writer |
1981 | Documenteur | — | Director, writer |
1985 | Sans toit ni loi | Vagabond | Director, writer, editor |
1988 | Jane B. par Agnès V. | Jane B. by Agnes V. | Director, writer, editor |
1988 | Le petit amour | Kung Fu Master | Director, writer |
1991 | Jacquot de Nantes | — | Director, writer |
1993 | Les demoiselles ont eu 25 ans | The Young Girls Turn 25 | Director, writer |
1994 | Les Cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma | A Hundred and One Nights | Director, writer |
1995 | L’univers de Jacques Demy | The World of Jacques Demy | Director, writer |
2000 | Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse | The Gleaners and I | Director, writer, producer, editor |
2002 | Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse… deux ans après | The Gleaners and I: Two Years Later | Director, producer, editor |
2004 | Cinévardaphoto | — | Director, writer |
2006 | Quelques veuves de Noirmoutier | Some Widows of Noirmoutier | Director, writer, editor |
2008 | Les plages d’Agnès | The Beaches of Agnès | Director, writer, producer, editor |
2017 | Visages Villages | Faces Places | Director, writer, editor |
2019 | Varda par Agnès | Varda by Agnès | Director, writer, editor |
Short films
Year | Original title | English title | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
1958 | L’opéra-mouffe | Diary of a Pregnant Woman | Director, writer |
1958 | La cocotte d’azur | — | Director, writer |
1958 | Du côté de la côte | Along the Coast / Coasting the Coast | Director, writer |
1958 | Ô saisons, ô châteaux | — | Director, writer |
1961 | Les fiancés du pont MacDonald (Méfiez-vous des lunettes noires) |
— | Director, writer |
1963 | Salut les cubains | — | Director |
1965 | Elsa la rose | — | Director, writer |
1967 | Oncle Yanco | Uncle Yanco | Director, writer |
1968 | Black Panthers | — | Director |
1975 | Réponse de femmes: Notre corps, notre sexe | Women Reply | Director, writer |
1976 | Plaisir d’amour en Iran | — | Director, writer |
1982 | Ulysse | — | Director, writer |
1984 | Les dites cariatides | The So-Called Caryatids | Director, writer |
1984 | 7p. cuis., s. de b., … à saisir | — | Director, writer |
1986 | T’as de beaux escaliers, tu sais | You’ve Got Beautiful Stairs, You Know | Director, writer |
2002 | Hommage à Zgougou (et salut à Sabine Mamou) | Tribute to Zgougou the Cat | Director, writer |
2003 | Le lion volatil | — | Director, writer |
2004 | Ydessa, les ours et etc. | Ydessa, the Bears and etc. | Director, writer |
2004 | Viennale Walzer | Vienna International Film Festival 2004 – Trailer | Director, writer |
2005 | Les dites cariatides bis | The So-Called Caryatids 2 | Director, writer |
2005 | Cléo de 5 à 7: souvenirs et anecdotes | Cléo from 5 to 7: Remembrances and Anecdotes | Director |
2015 | Les 3 Boutons | The Three Buttons | Director, writer |
Television work
Year | Original title | English title | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
1970 | Nausicaa (TV movie) | — | Director, writer |
1983 | Une minute pour une image (TV documentary) | — | Director |
2010 | P.O.V., episode 3, season 23, The Beaches of Agnès | — | Director, writer, producer, cinematographer |
2011 | Agnès de ci de là Varda, 5 episodes (TV documentary) | — | Director, writer |
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